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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29429586">Worlds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamystory/pseuds/Dreamystory'>Dreamystory</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>His Dark Materials (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cittagazze (His Dark Materials), F/M, Iorek being protective of Lyra, Iorek crosses with Lyra, Lyra being wild, Lyra's World (His Dark Materials), Parallel Universes, Will being the sweet boy he Is, Will's World (His Dark Materials)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:42:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,986</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29429586</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamystory/pseuds/Dreamystory</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Iorek Byrnison crosses worlds with Lyra. He, Lyra and Pan find themselves in a transit city between their world and another, totally different. The fulfillment of a prophecy has them all as protagonists, but at what cost?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lyra Belacqua/Will Parry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"<em>LYRA</em>!"</p><p>The cry that had emerged from the throat of the Panserbjørne could not overcome the roar that the friction with the air emanated, much less the shock wave that shook every type of living particle in her body. But worse still… he had seen Lyra Silvertounge, her protégé, his little friend, the child he had sworn to protect, fall off the precipice, overwhelmed by the shockwave the cut had caused.</p><p>Her small body had been thrown out of the metal cage where he, by giving her a shove, had helped her approach in a last-ditch effort to save Roger. But the blade had got in the way between the delicate and strong bond between daemon and person with a growing hiss ...</p><p>And then the impact of the energy that was released.</p><p>The little boy fell back, all kinds of life now flown from him, every kind of color had been sucked from his normally red cheeks. And Salcilia was gone, she had dissolved into a cloud of golden dust merging with the air and abandoning the body state. And a few meters from where he was, Lyra had crashed disastrously to the ground. Her frail little body made such a powerful friction as it fell from such a height that a cloud of snow rose beside her ... and Lyra stood still. His breath caught vehemently right in his throat.</p><p>A Panserbjørn does not feel fear easily, it is not part of his nature to be scared. But Iorek, proud in all his being a bear, at that moment felt dying of fear when he saw that stubborn child, stubborn and innocent despite everything not moving an inch after that fall.</p><p><em>Come on, Lyra ... come on!</em> It was what his nerves screeched as he ran to her, an unfamiliar panic attacking his lungs violently, squeezing them in the tightest, hardest of grips. She wasn't pale, she wasn't cold.</p><p>She at least she was alive, she must have just banged her head against the snow ... she was going to get away with it. Yet that paternal instinct that had only recently developed pushed him to move her face with his muzzle, the big wet nose rubbed against her cheek. "Lyra? Lyra Silvertongue, can you hear me?" And his deep, flat tone betrayed a hint of concern. A tinge of <em>sheer</em> terror that he didn't even try to suppress as he carefully sniffed the little girl's head, her red hat still firmly anchored to her dark head to check for any kind of confusion or injury.</p><p>Lyra didn't move, though, although she didn't look hurt.</p><p>Iorek's heart was going crazy in his chest, a pace only achieved while he used to run. <em>Why didn't Lyra move? Why was she still motionless?</em></p><p>He nudged her one more time, trying to shield her from the cold ...</p><p>and then the girl stretched, stiff and confused. "Iorek..."</p><p>And Iorek allowed himself to breathe, and felt his solid chest let go against the plates of his armor in a sigh that he wasn't aware was trapped in his torso's cavity.  Lyra tried to look at him, tilting her head up with confused eyes to observe the illegible expression of the Panserbjørn. His face hadn't moved, but his eyes spoke volumes. He let his eyes close for a brief moment, lowering his muzzle to examine Lyra (just to be safe), his breath lifting her hair in the process as she struggled to at least get to her knees. "Iorek, is that you?"</p><p>She had a fragile, broken voice ... helpless and scared. Iorek let a breath go against the back of her neck in comfort. "I am here, Lyra Silvertongue. Do not move, you've had a bad fall." letting his voice reach a low, comforting tone that could soothe her. But Lyra seemed to fidget even more under that imposition, and immediately she tried to turn around once more shaking on her own movement "<em>R-Roger ... Iorek ... Roger is up there</em>."</p><p>The boy was up there, yes. But he wasn't alive.</p><p>That smell of opacity, firmness that lightened in the air was clear. Crystalline. There was nothing left of Roger Parslow but an empty seat, and beside him the cage of his beloved soul, his Salcilia, was as empty as an arctic wasteland. He had smelled the smell of death before... But this was a drier, more absent and neutral version than when Hjalmur died.</p><p>And the helpless body lay there, in the cage, left behind as if it were a worthless rag doll. "Iorek- we have to go to Roger ... please let me get up there."</p><p>Getting up there to hold a dead body?</p><p>Iorek opened his mouth to try to dissuade her, but it was there that the two pairs of dark eyes met and the Panserbjørne was greeted by the sight of two red eyes on either side, glistening with water gushing freely from them down Lyra's cheeks, and the child's lower lip was curled inward, as if she was ready to start sobbing. But she did not take her gaze, that gaze full of agony, from Iorek's eyes... and it was those tears that pulled the strings of his heart, in such an unexpected way that the Panserbjørne blinked and looked at her intently. </p><p>He had seen Lyra cry several times during the journey, but one had been when she had crouched beside him and his battered body in the fight against Iofur as he tried to get up, one leg after another ... but it seemed that his muscles refused to answer for a brief moment, but in his mind it was all a show. A staging that the phony King had fallen for in full, believing that Iorek was dying by observing the way he couldn't stand up straight, how he struggled for air. And Lyra had been crying exactly after she had slipped to her knees beside him and wrapped her head with her arms to comfort him and had seen him slump his chin on her legs, worn out to the bone from her point of view. And that wild little head pressed against the side of his own with tenderness, warm tears crashing down her young cheeks as she murmured sobbing words including his name, over and over.</p><p>But then he had seen Iofur ready to jump on her, to sweep her away with a paw ... and Iorek felt a jet of anger counter the theatricality, with a sprint of energy mixed pure fury had rushed between Lyra and Iofur, but the tears of the child were not stopped so easily. Lyra had been to Bolvangar in the first place, first of all of them. She knew what they were doing there ... she knew why Roger was lifeless in the cage and why Salcilia was gone.</p><p>She wanted to say goodbye to Roger, to her childhood companion, her best friend.</p><p>An impromptu farewell, but no less poignant or sad.</p><p>Iorek granted it to her. He couldn't do anything else. Roger had been, along with Lyra, under his protection. And he had failed to protect him, a new failure for Iorek Byrnison. <em>One of many in his life.</em></p>
<hr/><p>Lyra sniffed incessantly as she gently stroked the boy's face, Pan beside her with his paws resting on Roger's motionless arm watching him with sad eyes.</p><p>Lyra's face, in stark contrast to the stillness of Roger's, was a mask of tears, sheer pain and suffering as her hand continued to search for signs of her friend's life. "His face is still warm." she murmured, thick voice with tears that still hadn't come down. But her lower lip was already quivering and curling, her vision blurred of her as Pan reached her. Iorek stayed behind Lyra, watching that lifeless little body from behind the girl's shoulder letting go of sounds of consolation. When bear cubs were in pain, their mother would always let go of pacifying sounds to calm them ... in her heart Iorek hoped they could calm Lyra, too. But Lyra didn't seem to sense them. She just looked at Iorek in a lost, defenseless way. As if the Panserbjørne could magically bring her best friend back to life. "I-Iorek." his name sounded so strange said in such a broken voice "his face is still warm." she repeated desperately, looking at Iorek pleadingly. Yes, Roger Parslow's face was still warm... but his daemon was gone. There was no mistaking it... slowly Iorek shook his head. "he's gone, Lyra Silvertongue." he sentenced softly, though seeing Lyra's expression tore a piece of his heart. The little girl leaned over Roger, tightening her arms around him, shaking as if Roger were sleeping and she could wake him up by giving him some warmth. "I thought he wanted the alethiometer..." she said. Her eyes still fixed on Roger's sleeping face. "I was wrong ... I was wrong about everything."</p><p>Her father had <em>deceived</em> her.</p><p>First he made it clear that he didn't want her here. He didn't want his daughter here, after the little girl had traversed the north and earned a reputation as one of the bravest humans Iorek had ever known and one of her was so young. "I didn't even say goodbye to him." And with that a sob left her throat, and Lyra slumped over her Roger holding him tightly to her. And Iorek allowed himself to put a paw on Lyra's back to comfort her. Humans did that, right? he wasn't sure what to do. No one had ever cried in front of him.</p><p>"I brought him here." she murmured against Roger's face "I cheated on him...He was safe at Jordan college...I took him to his death."</p><p>
  <em>No.</em>
</p><p>Iorek nudged Lyra on the shoulder. "You didn't bring him to his death." he told her, a paternal hardness in his voice (more paternal than Asriel's would <em>ever</em> be) "The Gobblers brought him here. Not you."</p><p>"But I suggested him to go north!"</p><p>The Panserbjørne shook his head. "You fought for him with all your might. There was nothing else you could do. You were valiant, Lyra."</p><p>But the little girl shook her head, fresh tears free-falling again. "Not enough. If I had been braver Roger would be alive." If she had been braver and had come here alone, Asriel would have intercepted Pan from her. He could have killed his <em>own</em> daughter, the blood of his blood, out of sheer selfishness. Iorek suppressed a shiver. "You would have been in danger if you had come alone."</p><p>"It would have been better...at least Roger would have been safe." A long silence followed, interspersed only with Lyra's sharp breaths and Roger's name inside each murmur. "what do we do now? Iorek...what do I do now?"</p><p>
  <em>...what to do now?</em>
</p><p>He could have taken Lyra back to Svalbard for the night, but the next morning? What would she do next morning? The Magisterium was looking for her, her <em>mother</em> was looking for her... sending her back to London was an unexaminable option.</p><p>So what to do?</p><p>Pantalaimon's eyes followed the trail of light that opened, tearing the northern sky. Where was it leading? Was it really the gateway to another world?</p><p>"What if dust is good?" It was Lyra's daemon who spoke, watched, reflected as that anomalous light fell upon them, brightening the night sky. "The magisterium is afraid of it, it fears it..."</p><p>Iorek and Lyra turned their gaze to the opening at the same time. Pan was right...if the Magisterium thought dust was evil, then most likely it was something that could be used to their advantage.</p><p>
  <em>But at what cost? </em>
</p><p>The opening of the portal alone had already cost an innocent life ... Exactly as the works in Bolvangar had caused the disappearance and then the death of numerous children including little Billy Costa and his Ratter.</p><p>"Maybe It needs protection."</p><p>Lyra didn't take her eyes off the opening "are you saying we should go ... and find it before he does?" she looked skeptical, scared. She turned her gaze back to Iorek to see if he agreed, but she looked at nothing in his face except his usual hard scarred courage. "Do you know what that means? We would be alone ... you, Iorek and I...we would be alone."</p><p>Iorek gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder with his muzzle "We will help each other. No one is ever alone." he said. Yet without Roger the world now seemed a hundred times more lonely to Lyra as Pan scrambled gently into her arms and onto her shoulder.</p><p>Lyra's wet eyes moved away from Iorek to Roger again and his face pale and transparent in the light. "So we should ... leave him here?"</p><p>And it was like a stab in his heart as she bent down, leaning to hold that body close to herself. Roger was getting colder, less and less ... Roger. The little girl gently stroked the cheek of her friend, lips pressed to his hat in that tearful hug, the last they would have exchanged and which Roger could not reciprocate. New tears came down.</p><p>But Lyra, brave little Lyra, spoke anyway "We have to make sure they don't win." Lyra had told him some time ago that part of her was surely bear. She had been skeptical of her cheekiness of hers and how she wasn't afraid of him in the slightest, not even one bit. An ordinary child would have been afraid right away, but not Lyra who had proceeded to call him a coward on their first meeting. And the way her eyes now sparkled with determination behind the tears... <em>Yes</em>. Lyra was one of them.</p><p>She observed the opening between the worlds and then Roger's face "...we have to go, Roger. Okay?" He said, speaking to him as if Roger were actually just asleep. As if he could wake up and listen to her. Her voice trembled, but Lyra kept talking to him "me, Iorek and Pan ... we'll go to the skies and look for dust."</p><p>Pan stepped down on Lyra's arm. "we'll make sure your death wasn't in vain." she said softly "goodbye, Roger." and so Roger Parslow was placed on the cold soil of Svalbard as his final resting place. The snow would run his course, his body would serve nature.</p><p>Lyra caressed his head one last time softly, then placed a kiss on his forehead and finally stood up with squared shoulders, Pan about her in her arms and Iorek at a safe distance to give her time to say goodbye to her childhood best friend. Then she turned, and Iorek slowly approached.</p><p>They were ready to cross.</p><p>Lyra's gloved hand rested on Iorek's shoulder as she took her first step into the new world, the Panserbjørne followed suit. </p><p>Lyra, her daemon, and Iorek disappeared into the window between worlds.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lyra had never had a dreamless night in her sleep.</p><p>Each night was like a projection of different images in her brain, each night she was something different. One night she was a witch, the other she was flying over the skies, on another night Pan had settled into a dolphin ... she liked dolphins, but having a dolphin as a daemon would have been quite uncomfortable especially for traveling. What was she supposed to do, carry a giant saltwater bowl with her? Quite inconvenient.</p><p>But Lyra didn't dream that night.</p><p>They had not continued after crossing the gap between the worlds because according to Iorek and Pan, Lyra was exhausted and in need of rest.</p><p>She had willingly given in to the prospect of getting some sleep and she had reclined against Iorek's warm side, her face pressed against his white fur and her body curled up against him. Lulled by the rhythm of her breathing, she had slipped into sleep. A dark sleep, devoid of light or images. A dream without nightmares, but without dreams in turn. Neither a witch, nor the north who she had dreamed so much at Jordan. Just dark.</p><p>And before she knew it, it was morning and the birds were singing in the branches of that warm world. She realized she was awake and alert when Pan climbed onto her back and waved her hair with a paw "Lyra. Lyra." he called her softly, yet it didn't matter how sweet his tone was. Lyra winced awake anyway, her body instinctively tensing, activating her fight-or-flight reflexes. A sharp breath came from her mouth and her eyes widened, but she remained lying on the damp ground. Or rather, she had used her winter coat as a mattress to keep from sleeping on the floor. During the night she must have moved: she had curled up against her Iorek now her back pressed against the side of the white bear, his breath moved her rhythmically and from it she understood that the bear was sleeping. He didn't seem to have woken up, he was probably as tired as she was. They found themselves in a new world overnight, quite literally, and traversing a parallel universe is tiring. Exactly if a few hours earlier you fought for your life, chased your father to the top of a mountain and saw your best friend die. Iorek was relatively well, having quite recovered from the fight against Iofur. Lyra and Pan were tired to the core.</p><p>She didn't get up right away, she only got up to lie down better against Iorek and get some more sleep.</p><p>But her body was awake, there was no way to go back to sleep now. Pan held the shape of an ermine and lay down on Lyra's chest, the girl closed a hand around her daemon and hugged him to her. "are you still tire"</p><p>"I don't wanna sleep."</p><p>"We have plenty of time, rest."</p><p>Not if Mrs. Coulter was after them.</p><p>That woman knew more than the devil, so it was only natural that she was already looking for them with her goddamn men. Her mother sometimes seemed so charitable and kind, nice and caring... and then she got mad and her daemon attacked Pan.</p><p>She was unpredictable. She felt the tears burn on the edge of her eyes, but wiped them away angrily. It was anger mixed with pure sadness, loss, fury against her parents and against herself. Pan said nothing, put his little head on Lyra's shoulder and she hugged him. Her tears did not flow, Pan had a calming effect on her. "Shall we wake up Iorek and go?" suggested the daemon.</p><p>Lyra shook her head "as long as we can be quiet, let's be okay." she said. Their tone of voice was low, but Iorek's left ear twitched that suggested he was listening to Lyra and Pan conversing and that he had woken up.</p><p>The girl sighed "there, we woke him up." </p><p>She placed a hand on the Panserbjørne's shoulder, turning to watch him as the bear raised his head solemnly: if there was fatigue in his eyes, Lyra did not see it. Iorek was hard to read, he always had been. The few times an emotion had been on his face it had been during their first meeting: he had always been frowning, perpetually angry. Only when his face relaxed could she realize how calming Iorek's presence was.</p><p>Without him now they would be alone, she and Pan, with no one to rely on. Iorek could have easily left her alone and returned to Svalbard ... but he had put her and her safety before his reign. He had refused to let her go alone.</p><p>"you didn't wake me up." answered the bear "I was already awake for a while." and his jaws flew open in a jaw-splitting yawn before he looked back at Lyra. She snorted lightly from her nostrils, resting against his side and hugging her arms with her hands. She didn't feel cold because she wasn't cold. The weather seemed cool enough not to put on her coat, she should have put it on her shoulder as they walked.</p><p>"where are we going?" As if any of them knew where they were headed, where they were going. There was no town nearby, as far as she knew, there just seemed to be trees. Trees reaching to the end of the earth, there seemed to be nothing but hollows, hills and trees.</p><p>Lyra leaned back against Iorek, leaving her head behind until she looked up at the clear, cloudless sky. Pan about her climbed onto her arm and onto her head and Iorek followed her gaze up to the sky.</p><p>"now we find the city in the sky."</p><hr/><p>The forest was thick and unwelcoming.</p><p>It was damp, wet, and full of mud that clung to boots, legs, and clothes. Not to mention the mosquitoes, annoying as few but definitely noisy. More than anything else, the hums continued to make the trio nervous, although Iorek was still protected by his armor. Every now and then he would dig a paw into the muddy ground to chase away the gnats and mosquitoes, or he would snap his jaws and then continue. The weather alternated between sunny skies, moments of high heat, cold, and rain. By the time they reached the edge of the forest, they were wet, exhausted, and mud-stained on their clothes and fur. Lyra had alternated between walking and standing on Iorek's back as the bear made its way through the forest until it leveled off, leaving room for a valley and a rise in the ground.</p><p>Lyra looked around her: she could see much more from the bear's back, Pan was curled up between the bear's neck and shoulders. Her hair was damp, curled from humidity, and two dark circles under her eyes were hidden by the dark light of the atmosphere after dark. Iorek advanced in rhythmic, cadenced and rocking steps, but steady and determined. The bear had not shown fatigue as his stamina was much more built than Lyra's, who was only a child. Yet he didn't utter a word, not even half a sentence. Anything.</p><p>Lyra knew that Iorek was trying to concentrate on picking up any signs of civilization nearby so they could find the city in the sky and decide what to do next. But Lyra felt tired.</p><p>"I hear you yawn." Iorek commented as Lyra's mouth dropped open in a yawn. The girl immediately closed her mouth, looking at the Panserbjørne. Iorek was watching her from the corner of his eye, if a smile could ever appear on her that face of her at that point he would surely have given her a benevolent side smile.</p><p>"sleep, I'll wake you up when we arrive."</p><p>Lyra rubbed her eyes "no, wake me before we arrive ..." but she was already lying on Iorek's back "I want to see the city ..."</p><p>"You'll see it. But now sleep."</p><p>Lyra mumbled something sleepily, but soon fell asleep like a stone on the bear's back. He'd spent those days of traveling sleeping, walking next to Iorek, standing on his back, talking to Pan ... But the sun hadn't always been in their favor.</p><p>A few days later the rain had caught them, and they had to take shelter in a nearby cave. It was big enough for everyone, and they had a chance to warm each other up by snuggling up to each other. And it was just when Lyra had curled up between Iorek's front paws to protect herself from the cold that at some point she had started sobbing. And she clung to Iorek as if he were an anchor, and the bear hugged her as her little body was shaken. "I miss Roger too." Pan said, as he snuggled against Lyra softly.</p><p>Lyra had lost a <em>friend</em>.</p><p>It was obvious that she was crying.</p><p>It was obvious that she was weeping her soul away and she fell asleep exhausted against the bear's chest. And it was sunset that same day that Iorek stopped just near a cliff.</p><p>"Lyra."</p><p>And Lyra, with those brown eyes, had woken up with a start from a hill in front of her, or so it seemed in the dark. In reality the tip of it was a tower and under it...</p><p>"the city in the sky." </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was incredibly chilling how much a city could smell so of fear, of escape, of life left halfway in that picturesque colorful landscape, yet cold and bare despite the sea waves creating a sort of contrast between the tranquility of an abandoned country and the awareness to be alone in a place so ... empty, messily chaotic for the matter.</p><p>But <em>still</em> empty.</p><p>The only figures to fill the calculated spaces with a triangular architecture connected to itself were the girl, her daemon, and the white bear. All three were battered with no injuries, so on this side they had been fortunate not to have suffered bodily repercussions from crossing parallel worlds. But they were hot and cold at the same time, tired and badly in need of a full night's sleep.</p><p>But caution was inherent in Lyra's footsteps: she and Pan walked a few paces ahead of Iorek, who was holding the rear guard with a skeptical, wary, unconvinced look of his surroundings. Lyra had seen him snort just before passing him with two steps, but immediately he had stretched his muzzle and through the delicate use of his teeth had pulled her back to him from the teal shirt that she still wore from Bolvangar. "Do not start walking away." he told her. Offended, Lyra turned her wild head towards him. "I wasn't! I was looking around!" she bristled, her nose wrinkled in the process. Any other human who faced him so brazenly would have ended up with his face smashed to the ground without going out of the way: but when <em>Lyra</em> was proving her worth, not backing down, Iorek felt his heart grow <em>so</em> proud. And also amused in a way, because the sight of that little face so ferocious yet still so childish brought up big smiles. But Panserbjørne don't smile, they show their affection in other ways. </p><p>And his affection was playfully snorting in her face, tickling her cheeks in the process. Lyra immediately chuckled, albeit with some annoyance, shielding her face. "stop that!" she screeched laughing. "Iorek!" </p><p>"Now listen to me. Walk beside me and don't go away." he said "if I lose sight of you, I won't have the chance to find you here."</p><p>His senses might not work as well as in their world, and if Lyra got lost, finding her would be a mess. Prevention is better than cure.</p><p>Lyra, who was stubborn but not disobedient, realized that Iorek had no intention of giving her way. Then she followed him: Iorek had the power to make her obey in the net time of five seconds, seven at the most. But because Lyra admired him so much that even just arguing as she did with Asriel seemed disrespectful to her, precisely because Iorek had great respect and admiration for the little girl he had renamed, and whom he considered as one of them. It would have been ungrateful.</p><p>Then the little girl walks cautiously next to the white bear as he gazes at his surroundings equally wary and cautious. The city was a real disaster, a slaughterhouse. Some wooden doors had been removed from the hinges, others lay on the ground ... there were writing erased on signs everywhere and childish drawings on the walls. Some shops still had clothing and food inside, but all the doors that remained were wide open.</p><p>Crates of fruit had been spilled on the ground, and apples, pears, apricots lay motionless on the roughly set stone ground. Lyra bent down to pick a few, just to understand what she was talking about. "someone must have gone in a hurry." Pan murmured as he leaned over to smell a very bad looking fruit. "It's been a while ... this stuff has gone rotten." His marten face twisted at that acrid smell. "this kind of fruit goes rotten quickly." corrected Iorek "they may have been gone for a day."</p><p>But the town was too decayed to have been abandoned for a single day. It had been uninhabited for weeks, perhaps ... difficult to understand. "what happened in this place?" Lyra wondered as she stood up and started walking next to Iorek. "maybe Asriel...?" Pan began.</p><p>"I wouldn't rule it out." Lyra responded with acidity and anger, continuing to observe the town and the sky slowly unfolding above their heads.</p><p>Something had happened in this place ... maybe people had fled for an outside attack? Iorek surveyed the walls, peering at them carefully with a critical eye. He excluded a war on his own: there were no signs of blood or marks from bullets or arrows. It was as if the city had depopulated overnight.  "Lyra, can you consult the alethiometer and ask where we are?" but before Iorek could even finish, an unknown though subtle rage in Lyra railed at him briefly. "I'm not going to ask that thing anything." she growled, not looking at the Panserbjørne in his eyes. Lyra had been, more often than not, quite calm beside Iorek's presence. But now he could clearly see anger in her and frustration, clearly at Roger's death.  He paused to watch her marching, her soft brown curls sitting on her shoulders and rocking with each abrupt step. "Lyra-" Pan began.</p><p>"No." she answered resolutely,  her thin brows curled down threateningly as she looked at the wall beside her for signs in their language.</p><p>Not even Iorek recognized the language he saw written everywhere ... By ear it could have been Latin, but it was much less articulate and short."now we have to make our way alone." Iorek spoke calmly, "Lyra, try to be reasonable."</p><p>But the girl shook her head, lips tightly closed in a strike of silence.</p><p>And once Lyra gets stubborn like this, good luck trying to move her. Iorek gave her a nudge with his nose to make her walk "let us find a place to stay, then we shall decide what to do."</p><p>"what place?"</p><p>"It is full of empty houses, any one will do."</p><hr/><p>The house they found, which seemed quite spacious from the outside, had been closed with wooden poles stuck between the two handles of the main door. But once those were broken, the house would be accessible. </p><p>"Can you break down the door?" Lyra suggested to Iorek.</p><p>"Let's try the sweet manners for once." replied the bear, simply cutting the piece of wood in half with his index claw (thick, strong and sharp as a knife) The half-broken wood fell to the ground with a crashing sound, and automatically the dusty doors swung open sending dust in the face of the trio, who coughed and sneezed in response. "we're off to a good start ..." Lyra commented, sneezing into her arm. Pan sniffed "A dusting in here wouldn't hurt." Iorek did not deign to answer them, he just poked his head inside the house to observe the surroundings. He smelled stuffy, musty ... but the oxygen was there and seemed quite livable. He took a sniff in the air to see if there was any danger, but the way seemed clear "Come in, but do be careful." he said "don't go upstairs until I tell you."</p><p>"you say there might be someone here?"</p><p>"Do not move too fast, and do not attract attention anyway."</p><p>Whose attention, exactly? that city was empty. But without arguing and wasting their time Lyra walked in behind the bear with cautious and slow steps, coat still leaning on her shoulder and her daemon trotting behind her. Iorek now had one paw resting on the rough surface of the symmetrical stairs leading upstairs, neck tilted up and nose functioning to detect foreign odors or dangers. Lyra put her coat down on a chair, walking towards the back of the stove to see if there was any water they could carry around so as not to die of thirst, when suddenly she felt watched.</p><p>It wasn't Iorek.</p><p>It wasn't Pan.</p><p>And when a dark hand came to touch her shoulder, her nerves jumped before Iorek could even warn her of the danger. She turned with a lightning jerk, violently planted a hand in the shoulder of the one behind her and gave a shove grabbing the opposite arm of the other to keep it yanked backwards and with equal violence she sank her elbow into the back of their neck, shoving with all the force that stood straight on the surface of the table with a dull thud. Whoever it was, landing so hard on the wooden table was hurt quite badly. "Lyra!"</p><p>Before Iorek's voice could even reach her, he had already rushed to her rescue. But he had stopped immediately at the sight of a boy, at a guess much taller and stronger than her, stuck under Lyra's elbow and trying to tilt his neck to look at the one who had just landed him against a table without a precise reason. "you're hurting me!" he said in a loud, frightened voice.</p><p>Lyra had no mercy. In fact, she gritted her teeth and pushed her arm even further into the back of his neck. "so you learn to move stealthily." she growled straight into his ear.</p><p>"okay! I scared you! I'm sorry!"</p><p>"you didn't <em>scare</em> me! <em>I</em> scared <em>you</em>!"</p><p>Iorek had never felt more proud.</p><p>The boy spoke again. "let me go, please." he said quickly, breathing heavily. With yet another shove against the table Lyra freed him, and he hurried to get up and walk away from Lyra with his back to Iorek. And the bear was silent. "who are you?" the boy asked.</p><p>"Lyra Silvertongue."</p><p>It was the first time the new name Iorek had given her had left Lyra's mouth, and with so much pride. As if she meant 'yes, Silvertongue will forever be my name.' as the boy picked up some meanwhile fallen vase pieces, inadvertently bumping into the white mountain that was Iorek and backing away before he even got to look him in the eye "<em>oh my god-</em>"</p><p>"that's Iorek." Lyra replied nonchalantly while Iorek's eyes flashed in the direction of the boy, intent on fearing for his life as he swung his gaze between the girl and the bear. "Where does it come from?"</p><p>"he, not it." Lyra corrected sharply "his name is Iorek, and I'm Lyra. Are you deaf or what? Is this your house" The boy didn't seem angry, he was just confused and a little sore. You know how it is ... An unknown girl had just slammed his face against a table, and a white bear was glaring at him. "No. I'm Will." he answered, keeping a safe distance from both of them "Will Parry." he gave a tentative smile, but it was cut off quickly because Lyra was glaring at him suspiciously. At least until Pan came out from behind her, little black eyes looked at Will in surprise. "finally, someone else to talk to!" he said.</p><p>Will's eyesbrows shot up.</p><p>"and that's Pan."</p><p>The boy remained silent, total silence as he stared at Pan with wide eyes "how does he talk?"</p><p>Iorek and Lyra blinked in sync. Why did the boy seem so perplexed and surprised?</p><p>"Is this your town?"</p><p>if Pan's voice had unsettled him, Iorek's voice made him jump with fright. Hearing a bear speak in such an inquisitive way would make anyone turn white. Will opened his mouth, suddenly dry, and tried to let out a few words. Amazement stopped him, and he turned back to Lyra indicating briefly to Iorek "He talks too?" And the girl shrugged "yeah, but he doesn't talk much." She answered.</p><p>Pan began to look around the boy, while Will waved his gaze between Iorek and Pan "Talking animals ..." and a smile had made its way across his serious face. He didn't even try to reach out to caress Iorek, because he knew losing a limb would be all too easy. He then he turned to caress Pan's little head, bending over to the counter and holding out a hand.</p><p>But before she could even get close, Lyra tensed and stepped between Pan and him making a steady, threatening eye contact with him. "he's not a talking animal!" she exclaimed indignantly. "he's my <em>daemon</em>!"</p><p>D<em>æmon</em>?</p><p>In the sense of a <em>demon</em>?</p><p>Will felt his brows curve down. "your <em>what?</em>"</p><p>The bear took a step forward from behind them, eyes pricking up. "you don't have a dæmon?" Lyra asked, looking around. "I don't see one." Pan enchoed softly, a lot more softly than Lyra.</p><p><em>Who was this girl? Who were the animals that accompanied her?</em> Will shrugged gently. "I don't know what you're talking about- I don't know who you guys are, nor where you come from-" But it was at that moment that an unfriendly spark appeared in Lyra's eyes, and the girl immediately backed away. "<em>No.</em>" she murmured, turning only to the last when she was towards the door. "Pan, Iorek, let's go." The ermine on the counter followed closely, the bear did not hesitate to go behind them leaving Will alone in the room.</p><p>"Lyra Silvertongue, wait!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You will be surprised to find that Lyra didn't wait at all.</p><p>She didn't stop for a moment to hear what that stranger had to say about her as she didn't have a daimon although she didn't look as empty as the kids in Bolvangar or as Billy costs.</p><p>Lyra didn't let her legs stop moving as Pan floated like a moth beside her head and Iorek strode after her "Lyra, stop just a moment." Pan suggested, but Iorek gave no opinions of any kind. "don't be so biased, he could be useful to us!"</p><p>The girl kept alternating between looking ahead and looking over her shoulder to see if Will was following her, all with a look that was nothing short of terrified.  She walked at a brisk pace leaving both Pan and Iorek behind, it seemed she lacked air and needed to catch her breath. And it was understandable.</p><p>The last time she had seen a person without Daimon was with Billy Costa and later in Bolvangar.</p><p>She nearly stumbled several times before reaching the stairway where they had climbed up to get to the city and lay down on the steps with some pebbles in her hand, Iorek stopped a few steps below her, eyes fixed on Lyra's. Iorek cocked his head to the side, a strangely expressive gaze crossed his dark eyes so that Lyra would pause in the action of throwing the stone out to sea in anger. "what?" she asked.</p><p>"you were rash."</p><p>Lyra snorted, shaking her head. "I don't trust him."</p><p>"Lyra." Iorek's tone had a certain warning in it, like when a father tries to reason his stubborn little daughter in the gentlest way possible. Iorek wasn't made for delicacy, but he did his best to put Lyra back on track. "No. I don't need any other friends but you and Lee."</p><p>"nobody is telling you that you have to be friends with him."</p><p>Another stone hit the water "yeah, well – I had a friend, and now he's dead." she said bitterly, harshly and lonely. She looked away from Iorek, brows furrowing down into a dark frown as she fiddled with the pebbles on the palm of her hand with the opposite one, without lookingd directly at Iorek and his dark, deep eyes. "we can do it alone."</p><p>Iorek snorted slightly from the nose "It is never a disadvantage to have more allies."</p><p>"he doesn't even have a daemon!" Lyra shrieked. She gestured wildly at the concept, eyes as big as two plates and an expression like anger, frustration that came and went like a thundercloud. "We don't even know where he comes from! "</p><p>Iorek seemed to think for a moment before speaking. "Probably from another world, one of the windows opened between worlds."</p><p>Lyra stopped in the action of throwing one of the last stones at the already jagged surface of the water. That rift hadn't just happened in their world. It was a crack between all worlds ... it wasn't unlikely that Will had simply found a window and walked through it without even understanding what it was.</p><p>But the determined position of Lyra's jaw suggested that she hadn't finished verbally pouncing on Will yet. At least until Will's own voice called her name. "Lyra? Lyra Silvertongue, was it?" And the interested one proceeded to completely ignore the other, unlike Pan who turned to look at Will and in a friendly voice said to him a "hi, Will." Iorek still didn't have a firm opinion on that boy, so he just watched him go down the steps and sat at a safe distance from Lyra so as not to scare her. "I didn't mean to offend you, all three." he said, addressing that singular trio "it's just that I've never seen people like you... bears don't speak in my world ... and we don't have dæmons. They say <em>demon</em> in my world." </p><p>"...thank you." Pantalaimon answered uncertainly. Iorek grunted but he said nothing, just turned his gaze towards the sea. Will took the opportunity to go down one more step "how did you get here? Did you go through some ... particular place?"</p><p>Lyra's shoulders relaxed slightly as a breeze caressed her face. "we went through a portal created by my father." she said briefly. "You?" At that point the young man opened a smile on his face, a little embarrassed perhaps as he absently scratched the back of his neck before replying with a chuckle "oh–uh ... I followed a cat through the window." </p><p>A moment of silence.</p><p>A chuckle came out of Lyra, but it was very brief and with a glance at him as Iorek pricked his ears at him. Not exactly a great way to start an adventure: following a cat through a window. Even Iorek snorted out a laugh, shaking his head. "definitely not an adventurer."</p><p>Pan flew near him, leaning on the head of Panserbjørn "not everyone is used to hearing about other worlds ..."</p><p>"That is for sure."</p><p>But after this brief exchange followed a second completely awkward silence, where Will tortured his hands by pulling his fingers and intertwining them. Lyra, on the other hand, perfectly demonstrated a kind of cold nonchalance as she watched the sea and occasionally Will just to see if he had fallen silent or was going to ask her more questions. The second option was more likely, as he kept glancing at them and letting out small, embarrassed chuckles. "Maybe we could take a look at the city all four together ..." he finally suggested. He wasn't fearful, although that petite girl had managed to make him crash right into a table in less than a move, Will Parry didn't seem to be afraid of her. He acted cautiously, as if he were measuring his words, as if he knew how restless Lyra she could be, even savage. He acted like she was a wild animal. Not even with Iorek, past the initial bugbear, did he seem to be overly agitated or nervous in his presence. But he was cold to what she was directing him, never looking into his eyes for too long. Just like he did now.</p><p>But Iorek himself understood that it was out of <em>respect</em>, not fear.</p><p>Pantalaimon hopped up to Lyra "that's the best idea I've heard today ..."</p><p>And after so many ideas ended straight to nothing, perhaps in the end the union was really strength. Lyra lowered an eyebrow, a side glance at Iorek to ask him what he thought was enough to communicate with him and ask him if he trusted this young man or not.</p><p>Iorek could see the truth, and there were no indicators or hints of insincerity in the boy ... so he nodded firmly.</p><p>Not that there was much to observe in that small ancient village residing on that old hill ... also because after a while the paths all began to look the same; Same architecture, same sculpture and same empty air, devoid of life. But this time, footsteps at different rates echoed side by side as they searched for clues as to what might have happened here.</p><p>"Looks like people ran away ..." was what Will said. "they left little or nothing out, all their stuff is still in the houses. If maybe Lyra wants to get into more comfortable clothes- "</p><p>That jumpsuit and the overalls that went with it were comfortable enough, so Lyra declined. This world had the ideal climate for this kind of clothing, so different from the unlivable clothes her mother had gotten on her during her time in London: these were practical, but not sloppy. Will, on the other hand, was dressed in a way never seen before: A short-sleeved shirt, shoes with a low sole and laces and trousers with a fabric never seen before ... it was rough to the touch, but at the same time it seemed solid. In all of this, Iorek had not yet taken off his armor, and the clash of plates colliding with the movement of the Panserbjørn's muscles echoed clearly within the walls. "this place's creepy." was Pan's comment again as she fluttered over their heads. "We haven't seen a soul since we arrived. And we've been here for ... four days?"</p><p>"three days." Iorek corrected.</p><p>"I've completely lost track of time. " Pan commented, now gliding ahead of them toward the ground and gracefully mutating into a marten. Maybe they had been there for several days, but Lyra couldn't figure out how long. All the streets looked the same on all sides, and all led to a central clearing where a majestic tower stood and overlooked the city. They hadn't exactly noticed it when they arrived, they had been too busy figuring out why this place was empty. And then, beside them, Iorek stopped dead. His head began to turn from side to side: back, forward, without a precise rhythm. His nose began to work, his ears moved restlessly.</p><p>And seeing him so tense all of a sudden, Lyra stopped and grabbed Will's wrist to stop him too. "Iorek?"</p><p>"stand still, both of you." was the brusque reply of the other, as he moved his eyes to observe from their tail.</p><p>And Lyra and Will obeyed, and for a moment only the sound of the air and the distant waves of the shore was the only noise in the background as Iorek tried to understand what this new sound was, so different from what he had heard until that moment. He slowly turned his head to a corner and Lyra followed his gaze.</p><p>And it was at that moment that there was movement, brown hair around the corner moving as the owner retreated over the wall.</p><p>And Lyra snapped  "<em>WAIT</em>!" and took off in a run, almost slipping and grabbing the corner so as not to fall to the ground. He regained his balance and immediately set off in pursuit of whoever had observed them up to that moment leaving Will and Iorek behind. Lyra knew how to run: when you play with Roger all those years you learn the tricks on how to be rushed in the race to win at all costs. Lyra's legs moved rhythmically, adapting to the curves she had to take and when she reached a small square –without even looking at who she was in front of– her hands landed on two heads and with all the strength she had, she pushed them down on the stone floor, obviously going down too. And from there he dropped blows on the backs, pulled hair and slammed faces to the ground without even looking at who it was she was attacking.</p><p>Until, in the heart of the fight in which she was winning, she felt two jaws close around her shirt and pull her up in one blow, away from hitting people against hard surfaces again. Iorek, for the first time, was pulling her out of a fight,  At first the way the bear lifted her was brusque, quite abrupt: almost as if he was irritated by that lack of judgment and that was his way of saying : <em>damn, Lyra! I lost sight of you for a second and when I turnaround you're tackling people on the ground!</em> And Will was holding her back by her wrists as she continued wriggling in the direction of the two. Two <em>girls</em>: the tallest had a hard, marked face. The second was more frail and delicate. She was in fact the first to speak to Lyra "who are you?!" aggressively as she got far too close for their liking. Iorek growled a warning, and immediately the two took a few steps back. "who are <em>you</em>?!" Lyra exclaimed in turn, starting to dash against the two once more. Iorek held her back, promptly ordering her to calm down in a sharp tone. The two girls came nose to nose with aggression, and it was Will who stood in the way this time to avoid a fight "Let's all calm down, okay?"</p><p>Lyra seemed about to kill that girl such was the fury that aroused her dark eyes, brown hair fell wildly on her face. "<em>They</em> were following <em>us</em>!" and again she tried to rebel from Iorek's grasp, who in response snarled: "Lyra." abruptly, without letting go of her for a second like a mother cat would a kitten, holding her tight by the clothes of her back as if it were her scruff.</p><p>"But you chased us like an angry animal! ”The girl defended herself, looking at Lyra with equal fury. </p><p>Thank goodness Will intervened again, stepping in with a calm attitude. "We just want information, that's all. We thought we were alone ..." He kept his hands outstretched each on one side of his body to block or tackle any attacks: he was taller and stronger than all three girls, even though he wanted to, he could have suppressed a riot without any problems just by intervening.</p><p>The girl took steps back, but a smirk crossed her lips.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Paola and Angelica.</p><p>The names of the two girls, in case you were wondering. Angelica was her older sister, and you could tell from how he commanded the other of her to protect her and how the frailest child kept close to her. Paola, her younger sister, on the other hand was more subdued and calm but certainly no less overshadowed, and she was the one who cast more acute, piercing glances, with two eyes as blue as the sky. And they were suspicious, especially of how they kept away from Iorek and how they retreated at every sound: Iorek, for his part, did not let himself be moved even for a moment. He didn't mean to scare them, just let them know not to go too far or his way of reacting wouldn't be friendly.</p><p>Those two did not seem stupid, however, and therefore they perfectly understood when not to pull too hard even while offering food to make amends.</p><p>What they had given Lyra and Will looked like bread, but wrapped in a still warm fragrance. They gave them a yellowish substance to drink in a glass bottle which Lyra sniffed suspiciously, she made both Pan and Iorek sniff (the latter immediately pulled his head away) and then decided to just hold it in her hand.</p><p>"Don't worry." the taller girl, Angelica, spoke quietly yet somewhat haughty. "we only choose good stuff. Eh, Paola?" and the blonde nodded softly "the bread is still warm."</p><p>So it <em>was</em> bread.</p><p>It wasn't the first choice, but it was still food. Softly, Lyra tore off a piece and offered it to Iorek. It wasn't like him to be picky, but he doubted his body was used to human food. So he politely declined. "do not worry about me, I'll go hunting later." he reassured her in a low voice. Low enough not to be heard by the sisters.</p><p>"Where are all the adults?" Will asked. Angelica shrugged her shoulders, roughly uncorking the bottle with the use of her teeth (there were no corkscrews around, she took ingenuity.) And she spat out the little cork that she landed with her in metallic clink a little further on. "they fled after the attack. Specters are everywhere." she said nonchalantly.</p><p>Iorek's speculation had been correct, albeit widely read between the lines. There had been a fight here, but it had been one-sided ... one side had attacked, the other had not even tried to defend itself. Lyra looked at Will, thoughtful as he still asked "Is that why there's nobody here?"</p><p>Angelica lowered an eyebrow at him "don't you know who they are?" she asked incredulously.</p><p>
  <em>Well, no. Evidently not.</em>
</p><p>"Are these specters bad?" Lyra ventured, slightly hesitant. At which the girl turned to observe her, looking at her in a way that no one liked. "you're safe, you're still little." and then turning to Will, who didn't seem intimidated or want to back away. "But he is about to change."</p><p>The boy blinked at her "what do you mean?"</p><p>"They get you when you are an adult. They catch you, and drag you away." Paola's delicate hand landed fearfully on her sister's sturdy shoulder. "As with Tullio..." she murmured softly, her blue eyes were more like a stormy sea than two real colors. Shadows came and went like waves crashing mercilessly on top of each other, brows curled upward in a frightened expression. That new name aroused general interest. Could Tullio have been an adult? The last one left?</p><p>"Who is Tullio?"</p><p>"Nobody." Angelica answered sharply, looking at them coldly and then looking at her sister as a warning. "we have to be careful, that's all."</p><p>"... if specters are everywhere, why don't we see them?" Will asked, swinging his gaze between Angelica and Paola. The older sister shrugged "Only adults see them."</p><p>Lyra glanced at Iorek; he technically was an adult, yet he had not accused the presence of paranormal phenomena nearby. It was bizarre ... but from behind her, Iorek was listening but not looking.</p><p>"And what do they do?"</p><p>This time it was Paola who spoke. "It's horrible." she murmured, looking at them with those big blue eyes. "They ... take your life away. You're still alive, but everything that makes you a human... gone." They sucked people's souls out.</p><p>They left them as empty shells, just shells without an essence and Lyra thought of Bolvangar and little Billy Costa and she shivered, suppressed an arctic cold that crept under her skin. "that's what happened to our parents. Now we're alone." Angelica continued nonchalantly. "and we are fine. Right, Paola? We're free. And you are too." With this last warning, the girls walked away and only then did Iorek come back, watching them go as Will rummaged in his pocket, pulling out two coins and leaving them on the counter of the empty kiosk under Lyra's startled gaze. "what are you doing?"</p><p>"I paid...?"</p><p>"paid <em>who</em>?" Lyra said, almost annoyed. Will put his hands on his hips with mock severity "taking things without paying is streaming."</p><p>But if you behave like an adult the specters will take you." Iorek let out a dry snort "stop fighting." he ordered, intervening between the two and nipping any discussion in the bud. He continued to observe the place where Angelica and Paola had gone, disappearing from their sight, and Lyra immediately understood that his senses were speaking very clearly to him. "Those two are lying." he said "That Tullio is surely someone related to them."</p><p>"How do you know it?" Will asked, then looking at Lyra after looking at Iorek. "Won't you be jumping to conclusions?"</p><p>"Iorek can see through lies. You can't fool a bear."</p><p>The fact is that Will didn't trust those two either; they were too shady and silent, far too mysterious and threatening. Why were they spying on them in the first place? "They're certainly..." the boy said.</p><p>"They are fake, that's what they are." Lyra added "They don't have a <em>dæmon</em>." Will didn't have a dæmon either, and yet Lyra hadn't had a hard time trusting him. Of course, Lyra's initial misunderstanding of the then-too-quick reflexes was always there cheering in the air together with the knowledge that that petite girl had an armored bear willing to jump at his throat at the slightest mistake as a protector. "Yeah." Will said "here, the weird ones are you. Maybe Pan should be hiding."</p><p>And Pantalaimon, proud in his blackbird form perched on a nearby roof, ruffled his feathers indignantly "I'm not hiding!" </p><p>
  <em>No, of course not.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Although Iorek had been recruiting to leave Lyra behind, it had been she herself who had insisted that he go find something to eat or he might run out of energy. All three hadn't eaten in quite a while, so it was obvious they were hungry.</p><p>"I'll be fine, I can take care of myself." Lyra had insisted while Will was in the kitchen. Iorek had looked at her with a skeptical sparkle in her eyes, but eventually nodded "if he tries to hurt you-"</p><p>"He's sincere, he won't hurt me. You of all people should understand that. Go easy, it'll be fine." Will was sincere and although Iorek was still wary, he decided to test him like this. Lyra gave him a kiss on the muzzle, right above one of his scars, to soothe him. "You too need some time for you. Pan and I will be here all the time, we won't go away."</p><p>And Iorek nodded "I shall be right back." and with a movement he had disappeared among the streets of Cittagazze heading towards the forest. "He better take his time." It was Pantalaimon who spoke, perched on Lyra's shoulder and flapping his moth wings to take flight "He has already done so much for us." He had given up his kingdom to ensure her safety, and never a moment had he shown fear and Lyra and Pan were grateful; but even an armored bear needs some time to relax and think about himself ... Lyra and Will might have had a little more time to talk to each other without interference.</p><p>"Lyra? I've made some food."</p><p>Will's voice was accompanied by a noise of ceramic resting on a surface and a warm smell and then the boy's footsteps as he went back inside to get something. "Are you hungry?" His voice was a little more distant now, but Lyra was <em>starving</em> right now. She had only given a few bites to the bread from before, and that wasn't enough. They had walked for days in unspeakable conditions, and she got up going to the table; lying on the saucer was a food she had never seen before. It was yellow and rolled up, it was still steaming, but it smelled good; it smelled of butter, a little oil. She ate a piece, and on her taste buds it was absolutely a delight. But as soon as Will returned, in the name of her pride, she placed it back on her plate and watched him as he set forks, knives and two small containers of salt and pepper on the table. "what is it made of?" she asked.</p><p>"it's an omelette." he answered, walking back to the kitchen a third time, in which Lyra took the opportunity to sit down to better taste that new food. "Are you a kitchen boy in your world?" Only a kitchen boy could juggle such refined dishes for the palate, she thought as she bit into another piece of the omelette. Will's head poked through the door of the French window with a somewhat confused smile. "What?"</p><p>"You know how to cook. Do you work in the kitchen?"</p><p>Giggling, Will shook his head as he got closer "No. Haven't you ever eaten an omelette?"</p><p>"No. There's no such thing in my world." A new chuckle echoed from Will's chest as she watched as Lyra was eating with her hands, not using the forks placed nearby on purpose "Apparently you don't use forks in your world?" It was to play down, yet Lyra replied with a dry, sarcastic smile. Pantalaimon hopped in the chair next to Lyra's and Will scratched the back of his head. He still seemed very baffled by the presence of that curious pet that was somehow connected to Lyra, and sometimes he didn't even know exactly how to behave around him. This led to uncomfortable questions. "Uh-Pan, are you hungry? There's some cheese if you want."</p><p>"No." Lyra cut it short in a rather impatient, almost know-it-all way as she looked at Will with a self-righteous look. "he's a daemon. What I eat he eats, automatically." Will took the blow of his ignorance on the subject gracefully, nodding softly. To which Pan intervened with equal grace in a cautious and calm voice. "But -uh- thanks for the offer." Will nodded slightly in his direction, before looking again at Lyra shrug in a sigh "... he's part of me. I'm him and he's me, I think."</p><p>Having a daemon certainly did not mean knowing what it was and why it manifested itself in the form of an animal, people were already born with a daimon that manifested itself a few hours after birth. But who could know why this animal appeared? Lyra didn't seem sure either. "You'll understand soon." consoled Pan gently, watching Will recline in the chair next to Lyra.</p><p>"Your friend said you've been here since ..."</p><p>"A few days. You?"</p><p>"Uh- two days."</p><p>Lyra nodded in the way a person pretends to find a conversation interesting even if it isn't, adding a raised eyebrow as the head moves up and down. It was usually accompanied by endless moments of silence, which Will broke clearing his throat. "You know ... maybe we can stay together, all four of us, from now on." He suggested. "Unity is strength after all ... don't you think?"</p><p>Lyra looked at him rather sharply. "You want me to stay ..." she said with a half-smile that disappeared immediately. "To set up." and as if Will had just offended her, she took her own piece of omelette and ate it as she walked straight upstairs.</p><p>Will hurried to go after her. "I meant we can help each other!" He said.</p><p>"Because it would be convenient for you." She retorted, The upstairs was spacious, perhaps even more spacious than the downstairs. The stairs all led in one place despite being many and confusing; Lyra found a space with a very large bed, and the floor around it too large. "I'll take this bed." she sentenced.</p><p>"Er- I slept there-"</p><p>But as Lyra turned around, the boy bit his lip in a condescending manner and nodded in her direction, "Okay. Okay, I'll...find another bed." And then he walked down the stairs again as Lyra sank blissfully into that soft, big, comfortable bed. How long had she not slept in a proper bed? From the days of Jordan college, perhaps ... or perhaps from the days of Mrs. Coulter's comfortable silk bed?</p><p>She didn't know, she just knew it was nice to feel soft sheets under her hands again and a comfortable mattress under her back and not having to sleep on the floor. She'd slept curled up against the warmth of Iorek's side for the past few days, but sleeping under a duvet tonight wouldn't hurt either. Pan crouched near her throat. "finally a good decision." He sentenced.</p><p>Finally a <em>great</em> decision.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the sunlight, the square shape of the alethiometer lay on the equally square knob of the bed after Lyra had pulled it out of her bag after days of traveling.</p><p>But she didn't use it.</p><p>He pulled it out, set it there like something dusty and old and then dropped back onto the cushions looking at it with his arms crossed with a contempt he had only turned to Mrs. Coulter and her tyrannical ways, watching the sun beat on the surface. golden of it and bounce on the roof above.</p><p>Since the Jordan's master had given her that mysterious object, he had done nothing but tell her how much what looked like a square pocket watch was actually a bearer of truth ... Yet the alethiometer had not told her of her father's plans, it hadn't told her who her parents were, it hadn't told her that Roger was going to die.</p><p>It was a bringer of misfortune, not of truth. An inglorious liar, that's what that thing was. And she wanted to throw it out of the window and smash it to the ground and stay there where no one (not her mother, not the Magisterium, not Lord Asriel) could find her. There with Iorek and maybe Will. It wasn't a bad perspective. The white form of a ferret Pantalaimon climbed onto her arm "Looking at it as if it were an ancient object won't help, Lyra." She pressed her lips tightly, stubborn and proud and hurt as never before but still firm and so intricately Lyra Silvertongue. She turned her head away, but Pan didn't give it a beat and continued. "What would you like to ask it?"</p><p>And with a low look, Lyra replied. "I would ask where my father is. If my mother is still following me."</p><p>Mainly if Marisa Coulter was still following her. And if she knew her enigmatic mother, she would stop at nothing to get her daughter back even though she herself didn't want her. But the alethiometer would certainly not have told her where Mrs. Coulter was, it would have simply answered her with a yes and a no. Whether her mother was worlds away from her or whether she was around the corner, this would not have been known. Lyra only knew that she had to stay there for now.</p><p>"Lyra?" Will's voice almost startled her, she was quick to cover the alethiometer with her hands as Will's slender figure climbed the stairs holding a bar of soap and towels. He was as friendly and cautious and warm as ever, yet Lyra was still wary. "Isn't Iorek back yet?"</p><p>Will's curly head shook "No, not yet." he said "but he'll certainly be here soon." Lyra suppressed her anxiety firmly, telling herself that Iorek was capable of looking after himself. She rather watched Will put it all down on a stool and look at her. "I brought you these, in case you want to take a shower. I guess you want to freshen up a bit."</p><p>Lyra frowned "What's a <em>shower</em>?"</p><p>To which Will frowned back.</p><p>"Don't you have showers in your world?"</p><p>"We have bathtubs."</p><p>"Well ... a shower is like a standing bath."</p><p>And Lyra, shamelessly pretending to be interested in that notion, hummed quietly as she stared at the wooden floor. And Will, who was awake, understood and respected Lyra's space by nodding softly. "Okay, I'll leave them here anyway. The shower is fixed, it's the one downstairs in case you want to take a look." and she turned, walking down the stairs with agility. Lyra watched him until her figure disappeared beyond the threshold of the stairs, and then she wrinkled her brow delicately. "I don't need a standing bath." she mumbled. "...do i?"Pan had always been a great know-it-all, especially in this case. "You don't need to ask the alethiometer for that."</p><p>... They had been on the road for days after all. At which she brought the collar of her shirt to her nose to check the situation ... that was not so irretrievable. Lyra Silvertongue, therefore, shrugged and dragging the alethiometer away with her and under her pillow muttered a very casual "eh, I'm fine as i am."</p><hr/><p>"I'm pretty sure the eggs need to be broken in the pot, don't leave them whole."</p><p>"I don't think this is a pot, Iorek ..." was Lyra's reply as she, like a child entrusted with an object like a drill, she observed the pan she was holding. The same one she had seen Will use and in which she had placed the eggs still intact and definitely not broken as they should have been to make an omelette. "Do you have any idea what its name is?"</p><p>The Panserbjørne shook his head.</p><p>He had come back from the hunt with his face stained with blood, indicating that he had managed to hunt something, a few hours later. Lyra had seen him come in looking out the window and she had rushed down the stairs to greet him with a hug, as if he had been away for years.</p><p>"There aren't many prey around." said the bear "It really is a ghost place."</p><p>But at least he'd managed to catch something, and now with nothing else to do he was watching Lyra juggle, so to speak, creating an omelette with a critical eye.</p><p>Lyra had never cooked in her life, so any attempt by her was likely to be somewhat disastrous no matter how bona fide she was. "I've seen Will do this, it should be fine." Lyra commented as she lit the stove.</p><p>Iorek hummed in disagreement, watching it all cook. Especially considering how there were still egg shells in the dough, to cook together with what was an omelette that had little faith in it. Yet proudly, Lyra raised the spatula with a triumphant smile looking at Iorek and then Pan "See? Not bad I would say!" she said "The cooks at Jordan would be proud!" </p><p>Iorek and Pan exchanged a knowing glance, and the daimon shrugged.</p><p>The same knowing look Will and Pan had when Lyra brought the plate in front of him, and Will watched the mush lying on his plate as Lyra sat down.</p><p>He said nothing out of courtesy, but you could see he was taken aback. Either way, he glanced at Lyra, who now sat across from him smugly. "Thanks." he said.</p><p>She smiled "Don't thank me, you taught me." </p><p>Will seemed to hold back a grimace as he picked up a piece of the shell. "You've added your own touch, I see."</p><p>Lyra blinked.</p><hr/><p>In the early afternoon the group decided to start looking for some form of life again ... needless to say, the results were poor. The only part of the city that stood out most prominently was a large tower in the center of it ... it was very tall, but you could clearly see the figure of an angel with wings spread almost benevolently, as if guarding the city somehow.</p><p>Will tilted his head to the side "what do you think is up there?" he asked as they approached. No one had a logical answer, as no one had ever seen such a tower.</p><p>There were no doors, entrances or exits. How did you get up to the top? Did you have to climb to reach the tower?</p><p>It was a nice picture to show to Elaine, his mother, Will thought. Putting a hand in his pocket, he realized his phone was still there; he unlocked the screen and activated the camera, pointing it at the tower and taking a picture. "What is that thing?"</p><p>it was Iorek's booming voice that made him wince and nearly drop his phone. Will whirled around to find the bear's long face inches from him, yet his eyes stared at the phone in Will's hands with distrust mixed with curiosity. "Oh… um- it's a phone. A smartphone, to be exact."</p><p>"A <em>smart-what</em>?" the bear tilted his head to the side, looking at him and looking at the phone at the same time.</p><p>"Smartphone." scanned Will "For taking pictures, calling people ... uh- use Google, social networks-"</p><p>And the bear's only reaction was to blink at Will, the boy realized that he definitely wasn't understanding a word. "Look, I'll show you. Come closer." he activated the camera again, this time the internal one to take a self-portrait. Then he stretched his arm out to be able to frame both him and Iorek, and motioned for him to come closer. "Look at this point here."</p><p>And with one click, the camera captured the image and saved it to the gallery roll. "Done!" and scrolling through the photos, the boy could feel the bear's gaze watching the phone over Will's shoulder. "Here, see? It's you and me, this is a photo."</p><p>It wasn't hard to understand what Iorek was thinking, not because his eyes said it all. But because the bear leaned forward to sniff the phone suspiciously before walking away with an unconvinced snort. "Hey!" exclaimed the voice of Pan "come here, look!"</p><p>It was near a corner from beyond which came a noise that sounded like a fountain, a continuous and harmonious noise but which at that moment completely froze the air.</p><p>A man stood with his hands in the water, his head down and not saying a word.</p><p>He just kept his eyes on the trickle of water that ran down and spilled on his shoes past the overflowing pitcher. He didn't seem weak, it just seemed that although his body was there ... his soul was elsewhere.</p><p>Lyra shivered and without realizing it, she grabbed the fur on Iorek's shoulder with her breath caught in her throat. The events of Bolvangar ran through her mind like a runaway train, as if there was no longer a line of logic to separate fiction and the sad, harsh reality she had experienced in the past few months.</p><p>She thought she saw again the little empty and sad face of little Billy Costa, she thought she heard Ma Costa's heartbreaking cries again, she thought she heard again the sound of the fire of a seven-year-old child's funeral pyre, to see that body reduced to ashes again and she thought she saw Tony Costa's face streaked and traced by tears. And she felt that pain as if it were her own, it was almost too much for a thirteen-year-old girl to handle.</p><p>But Lyra Silvertongue walked, walked a path of pity until she reached that boy, that man.</p><p>She gently she closed his hands in hers ... but when he turned around, she Lyra she felt freezing like never before.The man's skin was ashen pale with bloodless veins, and two empty, lifeless eyes. Fighting back tears, she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a gentle nudge out of there. "It's okay, go on."</p><p>And as if somehow he could hear her, that lost soul turned and walked slowly, weakly, away from her.</p><p>Silence reigned until Will and Iorek joined her.</p><p>"It must be a specter." Will said cautiously.</p><p>Lyra nodded "then it's true they can't attack us."</p><p>"You, at least. <em>I'm</em> almost there."</p><p>And suddenly, Lyra felt Iorek tense beside her. The bear jerked his head, his ears snapping in alarm.</p><p>"Iorek?"</p><p>"Listen carefully."</p><p>And in the dead silence, there came some pained, frightened, desperate moans of an animal. A cat perhaps. But in any case, they weren't human moans.</p><p>The three started running to look for the scene, and here it is: Angelica, Paola holding a stick and a group of children had surrounded a cat and held it in a corner. They were beating him.</p><p>Will's mind went up in flames because he immediately thought of his kitten, Moxie. And without thinking twice, he pushed away the children who were in his way to get to the frightened little creature. "Stop!" he screamed, reaching down to pick up the cat that clung to him like he was a lifeline.</p><p>Paola stepped forward, pointing the stick at him.</p><p>"Why do you have to hurt him?!" Will railed.</p><p>At which Angelica growled at him in turn: "You're not from Cittagazze, you can't understand."</p><p>Will shot her flames with his eyes, advancing menacingly towards the girl holding the terrified cat in his arms. He was taller, more agile and stronger. He could have knocked her out in no time, and he certainly wouldn't have gone light on it. The anger was starting to mount more intensely. "Get out of the way. Now."</p><p>With a smirk and an irritating tone, Angelica retorted. "Maybe I don't want to get out of the way." </p><p>"then I'll take care of it." Will growled, ready to pounce on her.</p><p>And then a terrifying sound shook the air, Will felt the bones vibrate under his skin and he himself took a fright when Iorek Byrnison stepped in, opened his jaws and let out one of the longest and most terrifying roars he had ever heard in life. The same children of Cittagazze jumped in fear, others screamed at them in fright, still others fled.</p><p>And next to an angry bear, Lyra was there by his side. Still and proud with her gaze fixed on Angelica who was now watching her and the bear with terror in her eyes. "Angelica, right?"</p><p>Iorek let out a warning growl.</p><p>"Go home, Angelica." Lyra said firmly.</p><p>And in anger Angelica and her gang ran into retreat, trying to get as far away from the raging animal as possible. Iorek's curled muzzle relaxed and the bear casually licked his lips.</p><p>"You should have stayed hidden!" Pan apostrophized him.</p><p>"You needed help. Is the cat okay?"</p><p>The pet was calmer than before. Will examined its little speckled body, gently stroking Its back. "It's fine, it just got scared. But they won't go light on it if they see it again ... let's keep it with us."</p><p>Lyra stroked its little head. "I agree. Iorek?"</p><p>The bear nodded. He could defend it more easily if it stayed with them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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